The bishops are extensively trained in what the church wants them to be trained in, which is getting everybody to agree that the church has all the answers all the time. That is the central problem with interviews. That is the central problem with abused spouse talks. Bishops don't need to be trained in counseling concepts until they are first trained to think that there are other problems in this world besides Iknowthechurchistrue.

What about all the support groups they put in place for abused spouses, former drug addicts, and people who need counseling. Oh wait there isn't any guess they will just have to do it alone. Oh well not the bishops problem as long as people are tithing and not masturbating all is well in the church.

Most of them grew up in a mormon community and were spoon fed the mindset from birth onward. I don't know if that's quite the same as training which says to me that someone is in a program of learning, not stuck in an indoctrination web.

Several bishops have admitted to me that, at least in Hawaii, bishops receive zero training, basically. The one horrible doctrine they hang on, is that as a bishop, Christ Almighty is literally guiding your every thought. So hey, you can't make a wrong turn, it's all great no matter what, and the bishop has no personal accountability for the damage his cracknut ideas cause to others. Bishops don't have to say sorry, or repent in any way! They are gawd's made men!

hello Wrote:-------------------------------------------------------> The one horrible doctrine they hang on,> is that as a bishop, Christ Almighty is literally> guiding your every thought.

Yeah, so they think any lame thought they have is divine inspiration. Sometimes those thoughts are accompanied by little bursts of feel-good endorphins because they're so excited to have any thought at all.

hello Wrote:-------------------------------------------------------> Bishops don't have to say sorry, or repent in any way!> They are gawd's made men!

Yes. Another example of the Oaks-decreed policy that the Churchdoesn't apologize for anything:

"I know that the history of the church is not to seek apologiesor to give them," Oaks said in an interview. "We sometimes lookback on issues and say, 'Maybe that was counterproductive forwhat we wish to achieve,' but we look forward and not backward."

The church doesn't "seek apologies," he said, "and we don't givethem."

As a youth, I had a bishop who was "extensively trained" to be a naval captain. Which is what his job was for 15+ years. And then he retired. And then he became a bishop.

He was really good at giving orders. He expected them to be followed. He often seemed more than a little disappointed that, unlike in the Navy, if you didn't follow his orders he couldn't make you do KP, or bust you down to Seaman 1st class...but he did use disfellowship/excommunication proceedings in a similar way.

But having spent his entire life giving orders in a very disciplined military environment, he had zero training in being empathetic, compassionate, or kind; he had zero training in keeping confidences; and he had no clue how to deal with the foibles of normal teenagers, having been absent from his own teens while they were growing up (being deployed on ships & such).

So as a military captain, I give him high marks.As a caring religious leader, he was an abject failure.

Mormonism fit perfectly with the military captain training. And the mormon hierarchy didn't care if he was a caring religious leader or not. Which is why he went on to SP!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2018 03:24PM by ificouldhietokolob.

This is typical INTJ personality type behavior on the part of the naval captain. I suffer the same way in my communication with others but I am getting better since leaving the LDS church. The INTJ mentality combined with priesthood authority is a potent combination. I still feel sorry for my wife for the years of me being dominant and gaslighting. But I am changing.

My 'growing up' bishops were an optomotrist and a furniture/appliance store owner, both of whom, by training and inclination, were people persons. They made their money by making people enjoying dealing with them, and not from a 'high horse' position, like an MD or ship captain...

Why bother with training? The bishop has a handbook that tells him all he needs to know---like that when someone is unfaithful it is always the woman's fault, gay kids are just confused and should fix themselves right away, those who leave the church are offended and want to sin, and Heavenly Father really really really needs more money if you ever want to see your loved ones again.

It is my not so humble opinion that when a Bishop calls you in to be counseled the you question him on his credentials and if he doesn't have the appropriate ones advise him that he could be held criminally and civilly liable for any damages coming from that advice

All the bishops in wards I was in, were (except one who really was an asshole by any standards) were very nice people. They were just so brainwashed by the morg, and tended to give advice like pray more, make sure you are doing everything right, etc. It solved nothing.

Most believed and had the fear driven into them that if they failed to properly address the sin/sinner then that sin was tacked onto their heads. This was drilled into their heads by higher leadership that many of them became a ghost of themselves; they lost all sense of humanity while acting as judges of Israel.

To be bishop is to have risen to the top spot in the ward and I believe that most of those who reach this spot have had it pushed into their heads by the cult that they have been specially chosen to serve at this time and place.

My bet is that a lot of these bishops feel undertrained and plain overwhelmed at all the responsibilities thrust upon them and do the best they can.

And, then their are the arrogant blowhearts who have been waiting and wondering why the church had taken so long to see their leadership and wonderful spirituality and talent before making them a bishop.

Looking in from the outside, it seems to me they are not trained at all, just assigned to be Bishop. Most mainstream religions require years past college training for their clergy, including some training in counseling. I cannot imagine how most Mormon bishops who may be trained in whatever work is their livelyhood, but utterly unprepared to be clergy.